Kenyon Collegian 09.06.12

Thursday, September 6, 2012 • Volume CXL • No. 2 • www.kenyoncollegian.com • 16 pages

Kenyon Collegian the

Serving Gambier, Ohio Since 1856

Farewell, President Nugent, Fare Thee Well

By LAUREN TOOLE NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, Aug. 14, as exhausted Pelotonia riders summited the Kenyon hill, President S. Georgia Nugent, the 18th president of Kenyon College and the first woman to hold that position, formally anTHE nounced her SEARCH decision to FOR THE step down.

NEXT The quiet PRESIDENT that normally A search permeates committee Gambier durcomprised of ing the sumstudents, facmer months ulty, staff and was momenrepresentatives tarily lifted, from the alumni as the Vilcommunity and lage opened the Board of its arms to Trustees has just cyclists, supbeen appointed porters and to name the next survivors parpresident. ticipating in the Ohio bike tour that has raised over $25 million for cancer research. Standing amongst passersby and onlookers, Nugent overheard a number of conversations remarking upon the beauty of Kenyon — a place many were experiencing for the first time — and expressing a desire to bring their own children to campus, so that they too could be in-

JOHN SEAVOLT | PUBLIC AFFAIRS

S. Georgia Nugent, Kenyon’s 18th president, announced her decision to step down on Aug. 14. spired by this special community.

“That day I thought, ‘I wish I would see what will become of this,’” said Nugent, with that flash of perspective that comes only in retrospect. “I brought this here, and I would like to see it grow and flourish.”

Nugent’s decision to step down at the end of this academic year surprised many in the campus community and caused some to look to this summer’s Sodexo controversy as the reason for her departure. In June, Nugent and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees,

New Policy Addresses Consent NEWS EDITOR

Last May, aiming to craft a policy that better reflected sexual relationships at Kenyon, Campus Senate approved a revised version of the College’s sexual misconduct policy.

Drafted over the course of a year, the approved version defines the consent requirement as, “clear, voluntary and knowing” and now includes both verbal and non-verbal consent.

The policy also features revisions in compliance with a memo distributed by a division of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. These revisions bring the College into compliance with new federal regulations regarding mediation of sexual misconduct.

A review board comprised of students — many of whom were Sexual Misconduct Advisors (SMAs) — faculty and staff members presented the revised policy after hosting two all-campus forums last November and reviewing the policies of Kenyon’s peer institutions.

Kenyon’s old policy, which was adopted in 2000 and has since been revisited every four academic years,

INSIDE THIS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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By ROSALYN AQUILA

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For situations when someone is feeling very uncomfortable and can’t say no, their body language can be very important.

Dylan Kaye ’15 Beer and Sex Advisor and Sexual Misconduct Advisor

required verbal consent for every action in a sexual encounter, but the review board concluded the gap between policy and practice was unrealistically wide.

“It wasn’t practical; it wasn’t working. No one was really asking,” said Emily Estus ’14. Estus worked on the review board and serves as both a Beer and Sex advisor and SMA. “Students said the verbal consent policy was just kind of ridiculous ... because people weren’t upholding it,” said Samantha Hughes, director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. “What they wanted and desired from the revision of the policy was something that addressed drunk sex because they said that’s what’s happening. Hooking up and

P.6

Memo to Kenyon’s Next President

interacting with another person or persons is the reality of Kenyon.”

Nonetheless, while the revised policy may better take into account the realities of drunk sex, non-verbal consent is harder to define, according to Estus. “For a long time I was really worried [because] non-verbal communication — it’s so much grayer than just normal, ‘Can I do this? Yes.’ Especially if both parties are drunk, which is usually the case at Kenyon,” she said. “But with the realities of Kenyon in mind this is perhaps a better policy.”

Dylan Kaye ’15, also a Beer and Sex advisor and SMA, agrees. “This non-verbal [consent] makes things tricky and makes both parties have see POLICY, page 3

Barry Schwartz, announced their decision to outsource maintenance management to the French firm Sodexo. After widespread protest, those negotiations were suspended.

Despite the timing of her announcement, Nugent said her decision to step

down has been in the making for several years.

“I came in thinking that any leader has certain strengths, and I felt that after you’ve been with an institution for 10 years, you’ve probably accomplished those things that are best for you to accomplish,” she said. “Three years ago I had a conversation with the then Chair of the Board and made the decision [to leave] at that time.”

The search for Kenyon’s 19th president is currently underway, and trustee Brackett B. Denniston ’69 of Fairfield, Conn., vice president and general counsel of General Electric, will chair the search committee.

Denniston did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but in a statement issued by the College, he said, “I am honored to serve as chair of the search committee on this important mission to select a successor to [President S.] Georgia Nugent as one of those extraordinary leaders and to be joined by a very able group of committee members with a love for Kenyon and Kenyon’s future. We all look forward to working with, and hearing from, the Kenyon community in the coming months.”

Other members of the committee include representatives from the alumni, see NUGENT, page 2

Maintenance Contract, Panel, Respond to Sodexo

By DAVID HOYT

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

After a summer of negotiations between the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 712 (UE Local 712) and the College, the two parties have agreed on a contract that is similar to years past in all but its duration. The contract, which applies retroactively to July 1, when the union’s previous contract expired, provides for a two percent pay raise for the workers each year for two years, and also makes minor changes to the employees’ health plan.

Both Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman, representing the College, and Robert Smith, a carpenter and the president of UE Local 712, said these salary and benefit terms are par for the course, but the duration of the contract — two years instead of three — proved to be a major point of contention.

“Previous contracts have been three [years long],” Kohlman said. The new, shorter contract is “mostly related to the ongoing discussion about the [MMAP], and seeing where that all comes out. We have

Scenes From a

P.8 Kenyon Summer

LIFE ON THE HILL AS IT HAPPENS:

to give them an opportunity to do the work they were charged with doing, and at the end of that, they’ll make a recommendation and we’ll move forward based on that.”

Union members have “suspected all along and kind of still suspect that the shorter term of the contract is in relation to the College wanting to outsource our jobs, even with a two-year contract,” Smith said.

“We don’t know why else they would want a shorter term.”

The negotiation process was unusually tense, according to Smith, and because of the high profile and contentious nature of the negotiations, both sides brought in outside observers for the first time. UE Local 712 used Professor of Sociology George McCarthy and Professors of Anthropology Patricia Urban and Edward Schortman as their observers, and the College used Patrick Gilligan, director of counseling services.

The Union introduced observers after the first meeting without consulting with the College, Kohlman said in an email.

“This is very unusual. The negotiating teams

Interview With

P.12 Josh Radnor ’96 www.THEKENYONTHRILL.com

see MAINTENANCE, page 3

P.14

Fall Sports Preview

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THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Nugent: President to Step Down After 10 Years

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NICK ANANIA

The North Campus Apartments, the renovated Peirce Hall, the Kenyon Athletic Center, the Graham Gund Gallery and the Horvitz Art Building ­— five of the 12 construction projects completed during President Nugent’s tenure. continued from page 1

the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students. The selection process will follow the protocol of recent Kenyon presidential searches, and the College will hire a search firm to assist in the presidential search.

Though the community will be watching closely as the search for a replacement advances, Nugent’s successful decade in office will not be overlooked.

Dean of Students Hank Toutain spoke highly of his experience working with Nugent.

“During the time that I worked with her she has been consistently supportive of student affairs, of the work that I do and the work that my colleagues do,” said Toutain. “Not only [does she] take an interest in matters and issues that concern students directly, but [she] really is … very supportive of those initiatives that make the student experiences the best that they could be.”

Toutain cited the North Campus Apartments project, as well as Nugent’s involvement with the development office in raising financial support, as examples of how generations of students will benefit from her leadership.

In 10 years, Nugent completed 12 renovation and construction projects that have both aesthetically and functionally improved the campus. In addition to the newly completed Horvitz Art Building, the Gund Gallery and the still under-construction North Campus Apartments, Bailey House, the Morgan Apartments, Evans Seminar Room, Peirce Hall, Lentz House, O’Connor House, Finn House, the Gambier Child Care Center and the Kenyon Athletic Center were built or renovated during President Nugent’s tenure.

While this construction was a highly visible success, Nugent made other tangible changes.

During her tenure she more

than doubled diversity amongst students and faculty and created the largest scholarship fund in the school’s history — around $60 million.

When Nugent first arrived, approximately 8 percent of the student body consisted of diversity students, compared to 20 percent today. “That’s really moving the needle,” Nugent said. “I’m always especially excited about first-generation students, and this year we have the most we’ve ever had and the most international students we’ve ever had.”

Six years ago, Nugent asked the Board of Trustees to assemble a task force to address the lack of diversity within the school.

This task force studied diversity in the curriculum, among students and faculty, and in the campus environment over a two-year period, eventually proposing a set of directives which the College initiated. These included a diversified recruitment strategy, the hiring of a full-time

Student Input Needed for Smoking Policy

By THOMAS MATTES STAFF WRITER

“I think it is pretty much as bad as the Second World War,” said Kenyon smoker Lucy Tiven ’13 when asked her thoughts on the campus’ newly revised smoking policy.

Passed by Student Council in February 2012 and later approved by President S. Georgia Nugent, the policy revision stipulates that “smoking in areas immediately adjacent to building entrances is prohibited by law,” said Senate CoChair Monty Clark ’13.

The policy will establish two designated smoking zones near academic areas of campus, which the student body will decide upon in the upcoming months. Smoking will still be permitted in residential areas, though it should not take place immediately adjacent to building entrances, and should be at least 15 feet from all entrances, exits and windows.

Former Campus Senate Co-Chair Gavin McGimpsey ’11 first introduced the idea of a smoke-free campus before the creation of the current policy.

Though not explicit in the revised smoking policy, “understanding the national trending health concern ... we will slowly move to being a smoke-free campus by 2016,” Clark said.

Student Council President Faith McDuffie ’13 stressed the need for student input to decide the locations of the two smoking zones, as well as the desire

to relay information to the student body so they are not caught off guard. “[Campus] Safety is there to enforce rules; [Community Advisors] are there to enforce rules too, but it’s also up to students,” McDuffie said. “Hopefully, this policy revision, or the buzz about it, will ... get students to have it in their mind and will remind them that these are the rules and they’re in place for a reason.”

Dean of Students Hank Toutain has asked students to contribute their thoughts on setting designated zones.

Zones cannot be in front of an entrance or exit to a building.

“Senate is trying to be sensitive to the viewpoints of a wide number of students and community members by both respecting personal freedom, but also [respecting] the right to have more control over one’s personal health,” Clark said.

“This policy change is our compromise of both concerns, where people still have the freedom to partake in either option, or both.”

Although the policy will go into effect this January, Student Council is still open to alternate viewpoints.

“There is always room for student input on things; it’s never a done deal.

Students always have a voice, and I encourage them to use it,” said McDuffie.

“Come to Student Council meetings, talk to their Student Council reps, talk to their Campus Senate reps, talk to anyone on Student Council. That’s what we are there for.”

international recruiter this year, establishing the Diversity Action Committee on campus, appointing diversity members to the Board of Trustees and a variety of other measures.

While no president can complete all she sets out to do, those projects that Nugent has nurtured over the years have become integral to the campus’ identity.

The establishment of the Child Care Center, enactment of an updated family leave policy and the introduction of a local foods program are three of Nugent’s landmark achievements which unite the campus and the surrounding area.

While Nugent will not be directly involved with the selection of her replacement, she does have some advice that comes with 10 years of experience. “Openness to listening and understanding the community” is a key part of the job, said Nugent. “If you don’t do that, you just can’t be successful here.”

“Try and teach,” added Nu-

gent. “I haven’t been able to do it as much as I like, but I’m so glad I did it. It builds relationships with students and it makes a difference in your relationship to the faculty because it makes [it] more tangible that you really are a faculty person.”

Finally, “you have to build good partnerships here. One quality that is tremendously important is that you have to have a great team,” said Nugent. “My senior staff is just superb. I think a new person will have to listen to and understand the community, but so often it’s those folks — the dean, the provost — who are carrying out a lot of the dayto-day activity of the College.”

Like the Kenyon graduate who is cast out into the world after graduation, Nugent is not entirely sure where she will land after she leaves campus. Unlike those graduates, however, she has already experienced the post-college delirium, and she knows what life after Kenyon will entail.

“I might even consider another presidency, but what I’ll probably do next is go to Washington, D.C. and become affiliated with the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC),” she said. “The CIC is the largest professional organization of college presidents in the country, with over 600 members, all from small independent colleges, and what I would be starting is a new initiative to try and be more successful in basically advocating and getting the message out to the public about the value of this kind of education, [which] I feel pretty passionate about.”

While this may be Nugent’s final year as an official member of the Kenyon community, her presidency will be remembered long after she takes her last steps on Middle Path.

“I’ve loved being the president of Kenyon,” she said. “It’s been exciting and it’s been fun and it’s been challenging, and now it’s time for the next thing.”

As Peirce Cuts Trays, Outrage Fails to Materialize

By DAVID McCABE MANAGING EDITOR

The battlefield in Kenyon’s culture wars may have gotten smaller this week.

Upon returning to campus, students found themselves facing the consequence of an economic and ecological decision made over the summer: the trays that had long carried plates of creamy polenta and bowls of tomato soup were gone from Peirce Hall. In past years, trays were available except on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For years, AVI Foodsystems administrators said, the company has been losing money as students take utensils and plates out of Peirce Hall and fail to return them. Damon Remillard, AVI’s resident director at Kenyon, estimated it takes $40,000 annually to replace lost items.

“I can beg and plead, I can come up with ideas, I can have panels,” Remillard said, “but until the culture changes — in a perfect world I’d love to say everyone’s going to bring it back, but that doesn’t happen — so until that changes, we need to find a way to ease the cost of all of this.”

Originally, Remillard said, he presented Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman and Manager of Business Services Fred Linger with the idea of removing the to-go coffee cups in the servery. After that option was turned down, Remillard suggested getting rid of the trays — which he said would save money

and provide environmental benefits.

That was evident Sunday night, as AVI workers unloaded the dishes from the carousel where they are deposited by students and loaded them into a dishwasher that looked less like a Whirlpool and more like the machine that x-rays carry-on bags at an airport.

In the past, as the trays made their way through, water would splash out of the machine, wasting both water and the energy required to heat it, according to Michael Hogancamp, a chef with ILLUSTRATION BY NICK ANANIA AVI. Still, around 20 trays are kept on wasn’t ideal — but it was hardly a reserve in cases of emergency. Hogan- travesty. camp was unsure of the whereabouts of “Well, I mean, I would hope that the old trays, but suggested they could be there is a purpose behind it. And the recycled.

College has had certain values, and if But what, some students asked qui- this is in accordance with what they etly, of the athletes? True: Kenyon’s think, then I’m fine with it,” said Danathletes have a reputation for en masse iel Waters ’14, a linebacker who said he transportation of multiple plates of had been known to load up a tray with chicken parmesan and even more glasses two plates, two cups and a dessert porof blue Powerade. tion. “At first when I saw that the trays And yet, as a trio of Kenyon football were gone I was pretty upset about it, players ate dinner in Peirce’s Great Hall, but when you put it into perspective, it seemed not to be a problem. it’s really not that bad to just make a Sure, they conceded, the situation couple trips back and forth.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

NEWS

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THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

Maintenance: Uncertain Future for Two-Year Contract

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These workers ... really cared about Kenyon. ... I was just overwhelmed by the dedication and concern that these people had for maintaining the Kenyon community and spirit.

Professor of Sociology George McCarthy

tive, then if it wasn’t approved within like a week or two after that, then the wages dropped, and if it went more than three weeks, the wage increase went away all together.”

Kohlman said the offer was a regular negotiating practice and one that the College has used in past negotiations with the Union. “The College’s final offer included ‘certain periods of time’ that would determine what raise, if any, would be given if the contract was ratified within certain periods of time,” he said.

The contract’s ratification brings a temporary solution to the conflict that emerged over the College’s decision to initiate a partnership with Sodexo. “We went in with a proposal that was based on [a statement by President S.

Georgia Nugent in March] saying the College was in the best financial shape it had ever been, so we had higher expectations than what we came away with,” Smith said.

But after they were informed of the Sodexo partnership on June 5, the Union’s priority “was less about money and more about continuing to be College employees and not [be] sold down the river to the lowest bidder. … the money kind of became secondary to everybody at that point,” he said.

Nugent pointed out that while the College is overall on sound financial footing, the class of 2016 required approximately $750,000 more in financial aid than expected, throwing off the College’s budgeting. “If you have the responsibility for leading an

institution like this, you have to look long term … so if we’re going to be sound stewards of the College, we have to be thinking about how we can keep down our costs,” she said.

Kohlman said the reasoning behind partnering with an outside company was to focus the College’s own resources on the academic mission, rather than maintenance management. “All over the country, you see places that are making changes to how they operate because they

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They’re not easy decisions, but I think they’re the right decisions, because the academics are what’s the primary focus of this place.

Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman

don’t want to eliminate academic programs,” Kohlman said. “Those are the decisions that we have to make, now and in the next several years. … They’re not easy decisions, but I think they’re the right decisions, because the academics are what’s the primary focus of this place.”

Policy: Reflects Hookup Culture more responsibility,” he said. “For situations when someone is feeling very uncomfortable and can’t say no, their body language can be very important.”

But Kaye expressed concern. “I hope it works,” he said. “I guess my concerns are that it’s so hard to read body language. Like if you winked at someone, what that means to a person. It could be funny, it could be anything.

And there leaves room for a lot of misinterpretations and assumptions.”

Hughes, though, seems confident in the Student Conduct Review Board’s ability to navigate the gray areas. “I don’t know if that will make it harder. It’s just a more realistic picture of what is going on here,” she said. “Instead of just focusing on words, we get to focus on everything which I think the Board has typically always taken into consideration, but now it’s definitely a part.”

On a national level, Kenyon’s revised policy is cutting-edge, according to Hughes. Following the federally mandated memo, known as a “Dear Colleague” letter, the Association of Title IX Administrators issued a model policy to serve as a guideline for any college’s sexual misconduct policy.

Kenyon adopted a near-replica of the model policy, becoming a forerunner in what a college’s sexual misconduct policy should look like under Title IX. Like Kenyon’s revised policy, the model defines consent as clear, knowing and voluntary, and although it encourages verbal consent, it also confirms non-verbal consent as appropriate.

In addition to changes regarding consent, the revised policy also addresses the appropriateness of mediation in

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Smith said the Union feels there are other ways to save money. For example, Smith outlined a plan for Union members to acquire cheaper health insurance from another provider, but claimed the College was not interested in pursuing it.

Though the fate of UE Local 712 has been decided for at least the next two years with the end of contract negotiations, the MMAP hopes to find a more permanent solution, according to its chair-

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of both groups are usually agreed upon upfront in the process and maintained throughout the negotiations,” he said.

Though McCarthy did not have any previous experience with contract negotiations, he said he was impressed by the Union representatives’ dedication to Kenyon. “These workers … really cared about Kenyon. … I was just overwhelmed by the dedication and concern that these people had for maintaining the Kenyon community and spirit,” he said. He said the main problem seemed to be one of communication.

McCarthy suggested that a joint labor-management committee be formed which would allow for more fluid communication.

The College used the raises as leverage to encourage the Union to approve the contract, Smith said. “Their final offer that they gave us … was punitive,” he said. “If it wasn’t approved within three days, the wages wouldn’t be retroac-

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We want people to feel supported by the Handbook. It shouldn’t be something that’s scary.

man, Larry James, a Kenyon trustee and Columbus attorney at Crabbe, Brown & James, LLP. “The number one thing we wanted to do is familiarize ourselves with the issues regarding maintenance, the history of maintenance at Kenyon College and where we’re

headed in the future,” said James, who is the only member of the Panel authorized to speak with reporters. The Panel’s goal is to issue a recommendation by November, and James believes the Panel has put together some “part of the puzzle, but I would say we’re probably about halfway there [to] really understanding all of the issues.”

James, who said he regularly deals with labor issues in his practice, says the Panel is aware of the Union’s concerns.

The Panel has already heard a presentation by representatives of Sodexo and plans to hear a presentation by Union members about alternate ways for the College to save money.

Whether or not the recommendations of the panel will be implemented, however, is currently unclear. “I can’t answer that question … because it’s asking us to predict what will happen two years from now,” said Nugent.

“What the panel recommends will be a recommendation to me, I’ll discuss it with the Board [of Trustees], and we’ll take it very seriously.”

President’s Office Will Move to Bailey

Director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities Samantha Hughes

sexual misconduct hearings, and the consequences of such misconduct.

Kenyon’s past policy permitted mediation of misconduct complaints across the four recognized categories — sexual harassment, assault, endangering someone’s health and inappropriate or unwanted touching. Following the memo, however, the College had to change its policy on mediation in compliance with federal mandate.

Now, mediation is only appropriate in instances of sexual harassment.

“The ‘Dear Colleague’ letter talks about the power of mediation as sort of that notion of restorative justice. Basically having the two people who have been harmed [acknowledge] there was a wrong, but also [acknowledge] there’s growth,” Hughes said. “But, sexual assault is so heinous that to try and say mediation is appropriate, [the OCR] thinks that’s just not [possible].”

Now, those involved in a complaint no longer speak directly to each other.

Instead, they issue and answer questions through an advisor.

As for consequences, the revised policy has more room for interpretation, according to Estus. “You want to be able to find some way to encourage people to report what’s happening to them, and so we took a hard look at the consequences of each individual sexual misconduct,” she said.

The Student Handbook’s past language has been revised to give a variety of recommended penalties — from

warning to dismissal, depending on the severity of behavior.

“I think there was a lot of fear in people reporting because they didn’t want to ... get someone expelled, especially at a small school where everyone is probably going to have some idea of what happened,” Estus said. “We looked at those consequences and tried to make it more open to interpretation.”

While there has been positive feedback concerning the changes, there are some contentions about non-verbal communication as a form of consent.

“A lot of people felt so great about the old policy because it was so positive, this whole, enthusiastic verbal consent communication, and now I think it’s more gray,” Estus said. “People are a little uncertain about that, like how’s it going to work out.”

In cases where there is no verbal communication, however, Estus says the new policy better supports the victim. “There might have been some hesitation previously about talking to an SMA because if no one asked and no one said yes, ... people weren’t sure if they had a case,” she said.

“We want people to feel supported by the Handbook. It shouldn’t be something that’s scary,” Hughes said.

“So I do hope people feel the policy is written in a way that is clear for them to understand and if they do feel violated, it’s written in a way they feel like ‘I am a victim and I do have support.’”

SAM COLT | COLLEGIAN

By LAUREN TOOLE NEWS EDITOR

After almost three years in the Eaton Center at the far north of Kenyon’s campus, the Office of the President is moving to Bailey House, which is located next to Sunset Cottage behind the library.

President S. Georgia Nugent used to work out of Ransom Hall, but she moved to Eaton Center due to overcrowded facilities. “The admissions office was running out of room, and we felt they needed to be in that historic building in the middle of campus,” said Nugent. And at the same time, many faculty members were displaced during the construction of Lentz House.

Although the Eaton Center is a beautiful, new building, Nugent has been unhappy with the move

and her office’s distance from the main campus. “No one sees me, and I don’t see people,” she said.

With the completion of the new Horvitz Art Building, the newly vacant Bailey House seemed like an appropriate location for a new office, Nugent said. The building will undergo some minor renovations and interior uplifts, headed by designer Malcolm Kutner ’94 as a gift to the College.

It’s got great bones,” said Nugent. “It’s a beautiful building.”

If the renovations are completed by January, Nugent may relocate to Bailey House, although the move may be difficult to make in her final semester as president.

The new president, however, along with other essential staff, will move to the second floor, with the first floor operating as a public space.

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THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

With New Building, Focus Shifts to the Visual Arts

By LILI MARTINEZ MANAGING EDITOR

Overlooking the woods surrounding Kenyon’s campus, the newly opened Horvitz Art Building is a powerful statement in brick, glass and steel. Though studio art faculty and students began the school year amidst professors’ bare offices and unpacked boxes, excitement within the department is palpable.

“Honestly, I was trying not to get my hopes up,” said Professor of Studio Art Claudia Esslinger.

“In fact, I really kept my emotions in reserve until we started to move in. And now I’m just overwhelmed with how amazing it is.”

The Horvitz Center officially opened its doors last Thursday, Aug. 29, uniting Kenyon’s once scattered visual arts department into one location. The building was primarily funded by a $10 million donation by David Horvitz, former chair of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Francie Bishop Good, a professional photographer, as part of the College’s We Are Kenyon campaign.

Sarah Kahrl, vice president for College relations, led the campaign and worked with donors, trustees and the studio art faculty to envision the building.

“This was a singular investment for Kenyon at a time when many colleges were stepping back from their commitment to the arts,” she said. “Our aspiration was not just to build what would be enough, but what would … make Kenyon a place of distinction.”

The studio art faculty worked for the past six years with architect Graham Gund ’63 to finetune the building’s final plan.

Among their priorities were more natural light and increased floor space.

“Horvitz Hall has a very different feel from the Gund Gallery in that it’s quite utilitarian,” Kahrl said. “It’s all focused on the studio and classroom experience, and each of the rooms is really almost custom-designed by a professor to facilitate the teaching and what we envision the needs of the future would be.”

Safety concerns, however, emerged as the department’s top priority. Bexley Hall, where drawing and painting classes were previously held, was not designed to hold art facilities, and did not have the infrastructure to do so, according to Professor of Studio Art Gregory Spaid.

“Before, we always had to make do — we never had buildings that were designed for what we do,” he said. “Probably the biggest step forward is the health issues.

Proper ventilation of fumes, the proper disposal of liquids and all of those things has been taken care of.”

In the sculpture department, which was formerly housed in the Meyer Art Center, also known as the Art Barn, the new building addresses an even more important safety concern: separating the combustibles (wood chips and sawdust in woodworking) from sparks in the welding and metal department.

SAM COLT | COLLEGIAN

Students in Associate Professor of Art Read Baldwin’s Drawing I course enjoy the natural light in the new Horvitz Art Building.

Centrally located, the Horvitz Center is more accessible to prospective students. Associate Professor of Studio Art Marcella Hackbardt said that while studio art facilities were rarely a stop on campus tours in the past because of their north campus location, the Horvitz Art Building will change that. “Prospective students will have a better understanding of what we do by seeing the studios and seeing the artwork that goes up in the building,” she said.

Spaid said he hopes the building’s state-of-the-art facilities will

attract more students to studio art. “I hope that more non-majors take our courses. When they see this building they say ‘sometime in my career at Kenyon I’d like to actually make art,’” he said.

With painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and film in the same building — the Center is even equipped with a green room — the studio art department will be more engaged in college life, Esslinger said. “My guess is that classes will be more accessible, more popular, more integrated with other disciplines,” she said.

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“[The building] will bring more focus to the visual arts at Kenyon. … There’s a connection between poetry and visual art and dance, and those connections are going to be much more vibrant now.”

Ultimately, Kahrl said, the new building represents a reaffirmation of Kenyon’s commitment to all facets of the liberal arts. “Visual literacy and the ability to communicate not just with words, which is certainly a part of Kenyon’s heritage, but with images and through art, is fundamental, especially in this time when so much of our communication is

taking place in the digital world,” she said. “[The Horvitz Center] changes the conversation about the role of studio art here.”

Though this conversation is just getting started, optimism amongst the faculty is contagious. “It’s a fantastic space, it’s absolutely glorious,” Professor of Studio Art Barry Gunderson said. “I think the students are going to be absolutely dazzled when they come in here. The returning students are used to Bexley or the Art Barn, and this is going to look palatial. I think it’s going to inspire people enormously.”

Village Record

In response to backlash over the College’s announcement of a partnernship with Sodexo, an international facilities management corporation, the College suspended negotiations and formed the Maintenance Management Advisory Panel over the summer. The Student Council representatives to this panel are Student Council President Faith McDuffie ’13 and Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee Michael Marting ’14. The panel hopes to reach a conclusion by November. All student questions regarding Sodexo should be directed to McDuffie and Marting.

Currently, Student Council is not involved in the search for a new president. The search committee, however, has student representatives on it, according to Brackett Denniston, chair of the search committee and secretary of the Board of Trustees. The College hopes to name a replacement by February.

Student Council awaits proposals for designated smoking areas in compliance with the revised smoking policy.

Students should send suggestions to studentcouncil@kenyon.edu.

Student Council still has several open positions on various committees, some of which would like to begin meeting as soon as possible.

• Faculty committees would like to start meeting now, but they are waiting for student appointees. For example, the Academic Infractions Board has open positions and wants to start soon because a case is pending from last year.

• Appointees to the Academic Infractions Board could potentially change the College’s policy on plagiarism by allowing faculty members to handle situations directly with students instead of the Board. Depending on the case, faculty could remove marks of an academic infraction investigation from a student’s record for medical or law school applicants.

• The Student Conduct Review Board has one two-year position open, along with two one-year positions.

Student Council appointed Meredith Bentsen ’15 as the mandatory note-taker for the Student Conduct Review Board.

Student Council appointed Jennifer Vihon ’13 as the Student Council Representative to BACCHUS. BACCHUS meets weekly and will focus on alcohol and illicit prescription drug use at Kenyon.

McDuffie encouraged Student Council members to register for and attend the Student Leadership Conference on Sept. 22.

Student Council intends to use OrgSync more this year to model the program for the campus. Student Council hopes OrgSync will become a better public website.

The Business and Finance Committee (BFC) co-chairs will hold office hours at the Student Activities Office (SAO) on Mondays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursdays during Common Hour.

Student Council hopes to increase student awareness and involvement this year.

• Student Council will distribute posters featuring headshots of members so students can recognize their representatives. It also plans to hold “representative couch time” on Wednesdays at noon in Peirce.

• Student Council members should encourage their constituents to come to meetings, as they are open to the campus.

— Grace Hitzeman

August 25, 4:21 a.m. — Medical illness: ill student at the Kenyon Inn assessed by Campus Safety officer. Student instructed to contact Safety if further action became necessary.

August 28, 12:51 p.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in New Apartments assessed by Safety officers.

Squad called; student transported to Knox Community Hospital (KCH).

August 29, 12:52 p.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in Leonard Residence Hall assessed by Safety officers. Squad called; student transported to KCH. August 30, 1:58 a.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in McBride Residence Hall assessed by Safety officer. Student found to not need emergency care. Instructed to contact Safety if further action became necessary.

August 31, 8:19 a.m. — Fire emergency: fire alarm set off at Gambier Child Care Center. Safety officers and fire department responded and used extinguisher to put out small kitchen fire. Fire department assessed situation and approved re-entry of building.

September 1, 12:19 a.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in Old Kenyon Residence Hall assessed and assisted to residence by Safety officers.

September 1, 1:19 a.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in Hanna Residence Hall assessed and assisted to residence by Safety officers.

September 1, 1:22 p.m. — Drugs/paraphernalia: students found smoking illegal substance in Old Kenyon Residence Hall.

September 2, 2:48 a.m. — Medical illness: intoxicated student in McBride Residence Hall assessed and assisted to residence by Safety officers.

September 2, 5:54 p.m. — Medical injury: student with injured foot at Campus Safety office. Assessed by Safety officers.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

NEWS

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THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

Asking for Help: Students Form Peer Counseling Service In an effort to increase awareness of the Counseling Center, Tim Jurney ’15 and Director of Counseling Services Patrick Gilligan worked together to create a new support system for students.

NEWS ASSISTANT

Some of us have baggage, but we aren’t comfortable talking about it.

But with Peer Counselors — the newest support group on campus — Tim Jurney ’15 and Director of Counseling Services Patrick Gilligan hope to get people talking.

“Our big goal is that at some point Kenyon can approach the status of an enlightened community where everybody understands that there’s nothing wrong with you if you need help,” Jurney said.

Jurney’s idea for Peer Counselors grew out of a desire to bring more students to the Counseling Center, which he felt was under-utilized. After subsequent research, however, Jurney discovered that 37 percent of Kenyon students went to the Counseling Center at least once last year. With this information, Jurney altered his initial plan.

“My original idea was

“

“

By MADELEINE THOMPSON

Our big goal is that at some point Kenyon can approach the status of an enlightened community where everybody understands that there’s nothing wrong with you if you need help.

kind of wrong — it was based in the assumption that the Counseling Center was somehow failing its students, because … I was only in contact with people who don’t [use the Counseling Center],” Jurney said. “Then it became about, ‘how do we help the Counseling Center?’”

After spending the summer exchanging phone calls and emails and writing a grant proposal for funding from the Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health, Jurney and Gilligan arrived at the conclusion that what Kenyon needed from a peer counseling group was firstyear programming, allcampus programming and

Tim Jurney ’15

student-run small group counseling.

Like the Beer and Sex advisors, Sexual Misconduct Advisors and Discrimination Advisors, Peer Counselors will meet with first-year residence halls in order to “let kids know that it’s okay to ask for help,” Gilligan said.

“It’s not only okay, but it’s wise.”

In addition to an emphasis on first-year programming, Jurney hopes there will be all-campus events throughout the year. One such event will be a “Mid-Winter Blues” festival to combat Ohio’s dreary winter months.

The group also hopes to obtain permission for an anonymous email ac-

count to which students can send questions about meeting times and locations and to obtain other general information.

Ultimately, the Peer Counselors hope to address helplessness, which they believe is a common feeling among Kenyon students, and advise students on how to conquer it.

“Tim and I have been talking a lot about … what it means to feel helplessness,” Gilligan said. “That when people feel helpless it just means that you need some help. That’s all it means. But what we do as people is that when we feel helpless we feel stupid, we feel weak, we feel ashamed. As a result of those feelings, we don’t do what we need to do to get help.”

In order to best serve the student body, the Peer Counselors aim for 24/7 availability and a f lexible understanding of what that accessibility will entail. They hope to raise

awareness of the many resources the campus already offers and refer students to those services.

“All these other groups have their own territory on campus, and I think it’s natural for them to feel a little threatened by another student support system,” Jurney said. “We just have to make it really clear as time goes on that we’re not there to encroach on their territory; we’re there to help people get to their territory.”

When Jurney and Gilligan created the program, they took a grassroots approach to attracting counselors. “We weren’t interviewing people,” Gilligan said. “We were just saying ‘Who wants to gather here and help with this idea?’”

Katie Moss ’15 was interested in getting involved because she liked the idea of an intermediary group dedicated to helping people get the support they need. “The biggest thing for me is there seems to be some stigma against going through a rough time,” Moss said, “or at least seeking help when you are. There’s nothing wrong with put-

ting it out there.”

Citing his own familiarity with divorce, Will Quam ’14 was motivated to become a Peer Counselor to help others work through similar moments in their lives. “The idea of helping other people who are going through experiences like that and showing people that they’re not alone appealed to me,” Quam said.

Quam also said he hopes the group is able to make some mistakes in its first year in order to learn how to better serve the community.

Jurney’s biggest goal for the group is to maintain the enthusiasm they began with and to create a solid foothold in student life.

“I think everyone’s sort of waiting for us to prove that we’re a real thing, because nobody wants to commit to something that’s going to fall apart in a week or two,” Jurney said.

As members of the student body themselves, Peer Counselors have a unique ability to identify with the concerns of their peers. Or, as Jurney puts it: “Every single human has baggage.”

be in the know.

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New Misconduct Policy has Potential

staff editorial

Before its revision at the end of last semester, Kenyon’s sexual misconduct policy was based on the concept of clear verbal consent. During every step of a sexual encounter, one had to indicate with spoken words “his or her willingness to engage in a particular form of sexual relations,” according to the 2011-12 Student Handbook.

This policy was admirable because it encouraged communication with a simple, clear message: verbal consent is the only consent; yes means yes, all else means no. Reality, however, is anything but clear, especially when fogged by alcohol. The policy — as it was formally defined in the Handbook — didn’t reflect the sexual culture at Kenyon.

Kenyon’s revised policy continues to uphold clear, communicative verbal consent as the standard of responsible behavior, as it should. But, recognizing that we are college students, the new policy also makes allowances for other types of clear, non-verbal consent. Namely, the type that is realistically found in healthy, positive sexual relationships — for example, unambiguous body language. While this makes the policy more realistic, it also introduces more gray area.

The problem with any policy, of course, is that it cannot proactively prevent all cases of sexual misconduct. To do so would require a major change in Kenyon’s oft-bemoaned “hookup culture,” and that is something that cannot be implemented from the top — it must come from the individual efforts of every student. What the sexual misconduct policy can do is provide a clear procedure for how to adjudicate incidents after the fact, and we believe that the new policy, by being more realistic, will be more fair and just in this regard.

Overall, we are cautiously optimistic about Kenyon’s revised policy. Verbal consent remains the first priority, and while the introduction of more gray area is of concern, we believe this new, more realistic policy has the potential to open communication, create a safer campus and allow for clearer procedures in the aftermath of incidents. Above all, we urge every student to educate him or herself about the sexual misconduct policy now, to be mature and responsible adults and, above all else, to seek clear consent every time.

C o l d C e re a l

OPINIONS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Memo to the Next President:

ON DIVERSITY

A weekly series featuring campus experts and the issues that matter to them.

cent construction of the new North Campus Apartments has further emphasized this isolation, as many students cannot afford to live in these luxurious apartments, despite meeting the academic requirements. This is an opportunity for cultural change at Kenyon through administrative policy that standardizes housing costs and opens apartment housing to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

The Project for Open Voices — a studentled coalition that seeks to open a dialogue concerning diversity at Kenyon — had the privilege of sitting down with the Board of Trustees’ diversity committee in April. Among the topics brought to their attention was the exclusionary housing policy. The discussion was a hopeful moment of collaboration between student groups, administrators and trustees. In the same way, the new president can and should play an important role in this dialogue — not only by setting a precedent, but also by acknowledging both the shortcomings and strengths of the current Kenyon community.

By KARINA CRUZ & BRETT MILLER CONTRIBUTORS

This year, our student body has the highest number of students from underrepresented backgrounds, the largest income disparity between students and the highest number of international students enrolled in the College’s history.

Our campus is changing: we are becoming increasingly diverse. Kenyon’s next president will be arriving in the midst of this period of transition, and it is vital that she or he is aware of the new needs that will result from our changing demographic. Addressing these needs will come only through collaboration and communication between the president and the rest of the community.

With the introduction of a more socioeconomically diverse student body, for example, comes the need to review certain policies concerning housing. As of now, the housing process that staggers the cost of living in doubles, singles and apartments has become an obstacle for students who receive financial aid. The re-

By incorporating such a collaborative model, Kenyon can lead other progressive institutions in doing the same. It is the responsibility of the president to exemplify such behavior.

As we look forward to a more equitable future, we must acknowledge the needs of every student on this campus — with regard to religion, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability and citizenship. We need a president who is prepared to bridge inequalities within our community, respond to the needs of students and offer support to those who may feel marginalized.

Karina Cruz ’15 is an American studies major from the Bronx, N.Y. She is an organizer for the Project for Open Voices and a member of the Diversity Advisory Council. Her email is cruzk@kenyon.edu.

Brett Miller ’15 is an American studies major from New York, N.Y. She is an organizer for the Project for Open Voices and a co-coordinator of Environmental Campus Organization (ECO).

His email is millerba@kenyon.edu.

Perspectives of a Professor’s Progeny

By SOPHIA DE PASCUALE CONTRIBUTOR

When I tell people that my father is a professor at Kenyon, I always get mixed reactions. They

range from pleasant and enthusiastic: “That’s so cool! You must know, like, everyone!” to sympathetic or consoling: “Is that why you came here?” To make matters worse, if not a little more confusing, I then tell people that I actually grew up in Gambier — even funnier, right across the street from the first-year quad.

One not-so-bright acquaintance was so confused by my strange connection to Kenyon that he asked if growing up in a dorm

was fun. I didn’t bother responding to that question.

My relationship with Kenyon is a strange and ambivalent one.

Although being a professor’s kid is quite nice, the benefits are not all that impressive. Yes, I know the Kenyon campus backwards and forwards (but really, after a week anyone can figure out this mile-long campus), and I do happen to know a lot of the professors. Nearly everyone asks me if I go to this college for free, and I

always respond with a curt and annoyed, “no.” Other than those things, there really isn’t any other crazy benefit or disadvantage.

My dad is a philosophy teacher. I do not plan to ever set foot in the philosophy department. This is not because I’m afraid people will make the assumption that I will get an automatic “A” because I’m the professor’s daughter. My dad is an honest man, and he see PROGENY, page 7

By HOLLY ANDERSON

Kenyon Collegian the

Editor-in-Chief Caleb Bissinger Managing Editors Lili Martinez, Blog Editors Becca Hafter, David McCabe Leslie Martin News Editors Rosalyn Aquila, Website Managers Katie Finnigan, Lauren Toole Kim Selwyn Features Editor Jane Simonton News Assistant Madeleine Opinions Editors Sarah Kahwash, Thompson Ben Ros Design Assistants Katie Finnigan, A&E Editors Sarah Lehr, Kim Selwyn Paige Shermis Illustrator Nicholas Anania Sports Editor Anna Dunlavey Copy Editors Nicholas Anania, Design Editor Wilfred Ahrens Rebecca Marcus, Jenna Nobs, Kim Chief Copy Editor David Hoyt Selwyn, Hanna Washburn Photography Editor Sam Colt Faculty Advisor P. F. Kluge

Advertising and Subscriptions Advertisers should contact Caleb Bissinger for current rates and further information via email at kenyoncollegian@gmail.com. All materials should be sent to Business Manager, The Kenyon Collegian, P.O. Box 832, Gambier, OH 43022.

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The Kenyon Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters submitted for length and clarity. The Collegian cannot accept anonymous or pseudonymous letters. Letters must be signed by individuals, not organizations, and must be 200 words or less. Letters must also be received no later than the Sunday prior to publication. The Kenyon Collegian prints as many letters as possible each week subject to space, interest and appropriateness. Members of the editorial board reserve the right to reject any submission. The views expressed in the paper do not necessarily reflect the views of Kenyon College.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

OPINIONS

Learn From My Mistakes: Over the Moon

By FRANCES SUTTON COLUMNIST

Like many first years, I had my share of cringing, noob moments that I’d like to tuck away and never see again. Until recently, the anecdote I’m about to tell had fallen under that category. Over the past few months, however, it has become a fairly excellent weird-brag, and Kenyon College is a great place to collect weird-brags about yourself and other people.

The first couple of weekends at Kenyon, you will hear the same lie echoing throughout the first-year halls: “I heard New Apts is happening tonight.” When you hear that sentence, you should immediately pull out your handy dandy notebook and figure out the following: “Do we know which New Apt?” “Who told you this?” “Were we actually invited?”

Maybe there is a party going on in one of the 20-something New Apts, but the peo-

ple in that New Apt probably didn’t register “parade of randos” on their party registration form. I may or may not have done the following dance a few times in my first semester: walked to the New Apts sober (cause there would be beer there right?) with a minimum of 10 kids, realized there was nothing “happening” and walked back to the first-year quad feeling awkward and lame.

Then, one Friday night, it happened: the New Apts party was real. Conditions were perfect: the Chasers had performed their fall concert, Motown was playing at the VI, and my friend’s brother was the person hosting the after-party, so I had a tenuous but still valid invite. Obviously, this was going to be the greatest night ever.

I arrived at the New Apts party with a couple of friends, but within five minutes I’d lost them. Suddenly, I was in a New Apt filled to the brim with upperclassmen I didn’t know. While part of me was terrified and wanted to make a break for it and go back to Norton, the other part of me, much like Charlie Bucket in the original Willy Wonka movie, wanted to face the craziness head on. As I walked through the New Apt trying to appear cool and totally unfazed, a cute guy began chatting me up — and not just a Kenyon guy, but a recent Kenyon alum!

I tried exceptionally hard to be really normal and mature. I nodded in an “interested but not over-eager” way as he told me about how he graduated last year, how he used to be in the Chasers, how he’s living in Cincinnati now, how he came down for the weekend to see the Chasers concert and play a show at the VI the next night and how I should definitely go to see his band. We talked for a while in the middle of this party, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job because he says to me: “Frances, I think you are really cute and I would like to kiss you, but I should tell you that I have a girlfriend back home in Cincinnati.” Wait, what? Exactly.

I have studied that sentence many times, and I am still not sure what the phrase “but I should tell you” means: was I supposed to translate that to “I want to kiss you but I won’t” or “I want to kiss you but you shouldn’t want to kiss me and if I do cheat on my girlfriend it’s officially your fault since you were warned”? To this day, I have no clue what the truth is, but I do remember my response: “That’s very nice of you to say. I don’t think it’s a good idea to cheat on your girlfriend. It was nice to meet you, though!” And it had been! I had totally Charlie Bucket-ed the crap outta that party! Talking with him and flirting had been like drinking Fizzy

Lifting Drink: it was bold and fun, until it got a little too real and then I had to figure out how to get down and join the rest of the party again.

The next day, I recounted my “wild” and hilarious night to a couple of my friends and I got kudos all around for not being a homewrecker. Later that night, though, we went to the Village Inn to see a band play, and … Hey, wouldja look at that! Hey you guys! The lead singer! He’s the guy from last night! That’s the guy I didn’t kiss! Guys, that’s the guy!

Three years later, he would be singing the same songs on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and MTV Unplugged, playing at major music festivals, and interviewing with every music and pop-culture social media outlet in the country. Since his rise to fame, my friends have given me a hard time for turning down my supposed opportunity to make out with a rock star, but I think that just makes it a better weird-brag. I could say he’s “the one that got away,” but in this story, I like to think that I am.

Frances Sutton is a senior from Red Sox Nation. She is majoring in Middle Path Chats with a concentration in Winning Peirce. Her column runs monthly, and her email is suttonf@kenyon.edu

Peer Counselors Will Help Students Help Themselves

By TIM JURNEY CONTRIBUTOR

Last semester, too many people I cared a lot about felt sad or anxious, alone and desperate. They weren’t getting the help they needed, and it seemed at the time like Kenyon was to blame.

I’d spoken to a number of other people, many of whom felt the same way.

Then I talked to Patrick Gilligan, director of counseling services, and realized that this disconnect my friends were so acutely feeling wasn’t caused by the College alone. The Counseling Center is a wonderful place to find help, and only one part of Kenyon’s support system. Student groups like SMAs (Sexual Misconduct Advisors), Beer and Sex and DAs (Discrimination Advisors) work side-by-side with institutional resources like Academic Advising to provide any support the student body might need. Despite my previous

notions, plenty of students do use these resources on a regular basis. What I was concerned about were the others — the numerous others — who wanted or needed such help but weren’t seeking it.

That’s when Patrick suggested a way to bridge that gap: Peer Counselors.

Born from the collective brainpower of 20-some students and Patrick, Peer Counselors didn’t even have a name until summer started. But even as a fledgling idea, Peer Counselors was exciting to me because it was an alternative to anger; instead of being upset about the gap between students and support, I and many other like-minded students got to do something about it.

At the very end of the summer, 14 students signed on to help out and came to meetings in the midst of finals week.

Four of them volunteered to be officers without knowing what that would entail, and found themselves contacting administrators and designing programming in July. Patrick and I applied for a grant, designed training and drafted so many Google Docs.

Peer Counselors is based on the concept that an enlightened community understands helplessness as a situation in which somebody needs help, as opposed to a sign of weakness or stupidity.

Every member of an enlightened com-

munity is ready and able to help themselves and others, and the collective becomes a healthier place.

We’d also begun to figure out how Peer Counselors would accomplish this: by designing various programming and providing confidential help for students experiencing helplessness.

Most of the action is still to come.

We’re just starting to figure things out as an organization. But what has happened during the first week back far exceeded our expectations. For one thing, there are now 33 peer counselors. Students heard about us through word-ofmouth and found me in Peirce, at the KAC and over email to tell me they wanted in.

I’ve talked to each member about why they joined, and while each answer was different, they can all be boiled down to the same principle: they too saw a gap between students and help, and wanted to bridge it.

And then there was training.

Though confidentiality bars me from sharing any detail that gave depth to the experience, every peer counselor shared the skills and experiences they bring to the group. Among 33 people there were 33 different stories, but each of them was simultaneously heart-breaking and heartwarming — whether it was help-

ing a friend through a rough patch or dealing with life long mental health issues, every student was wrestling with their own demons.

Being in a room with so many strangers who were both high-functioning and struggling was one of the most important experiences of my life. Suddenly, I stopped feeling alone. When I walk down Middle Path and everyone is smiling and laughing, it’s not because they’re all perfectly happy, it’s because that’s the face they show to the public.

We all experience helplessness and we all struggle to find help, and in that way nobody is alone in their pain.

This new understanding of the world only makes me less angry and more determined to see Peer Counselors succeed as an organization. Being hurt is part of being human, and helplessness, which often results in pain, is wholly inevitable. Since every single member of the Kenyon community is affected by helplessness, all of us can benefit from a more enlightened community.

Tim Jurney is a sophomore international studies major and proud IPHS concentrator from Minneapolis. He is the student manager of the Peer Counselors.

His email is jurneyt@kenyon.edu.

Progeny: Faculty Daughter Content With Experience continued from page 6

would grade me honestly without hesitation. It’s really just because being raised by a philosophy professor — and never being able to win an argument because of “logical fallacies” — creates an innate aversion to all things philosophical from a young age.

For my next four years at Kenyon, I do not plan on ever living at home during the school year. There is nothing wrong for those who would choose to, but for me, living at home would place

me in a sort of limbo, caught between home-life and the pseudo-real college life. As for summers, I’ll go home if I have nothing to do, but ideally I’d love to be taking advantage of my summer to create new experiences.

People always told me that once I actually started going to Kenyon, attending college in the place two feet from my house wouldn’t feel so weird. They couldn’t have been more right. Though they exist in the same physical location, Kenyon feels like this little world within a bubble that appears completely

7

THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

different when viewed from the inside.

Even though all the physical buildings are familiar to me, walking into them with the mindset of a college student made them feel completely foreign.

It was utterly relieving when I started Orientation. The excitement of being somewhere entirely new was a feeling I was worried I’d miss out on, but that was not the case.

Overall, I’m very excited to be attending Kenyon. It’s a beautiful school that I know I will continue to love even years after I graduate. My experience

might be a little bit different in comparison to the rest of my class, but I don’t think being the daughter of a faculty member will change it so much. Of course, I say that after being here only a week, so we’ll see how this goes.

Sophia De Pascuale is a first-year student and the daughter of Juan De Pascuale, an associate professor of philosophy.

She plans on taking as many languages as possible and may major in international studies. Her email is depascuales@kenyon.edu.

Concerning:

LIBERAL ARTS

“I enjoyed seeing the campus and the people I knew, but the plotline was weird.”

— Joe Walsh ’15 “I was kind of in a daze …

I sat 10 seats away from Josh Radnor.”

— Sally Steuterman ’14 “I wish bookstore guy Jim Huang gave a speech after receiving his award.”

— Greg Andreoli ’14 “I was upset that the purple carpet didn’t extend all the way to the door … so anticlimactic.”

— Erin Ginsburg ’15 “The movie was a bit pretentious. Going back to college doesn’t mean you’ll figure life out.”

— Brett Field ’14 “[Actor] Richard Jenkins did a good job with a relatively weak script. I was glad they mentioned William Blake.”

— Willie Plaschke ’13 “In the words of James Dennin, ‘It was about as deep as the Kokosing.’”

— Tommy Brown ’13 “I just really want to know who the mother is.”

— Katy Siegel ’14 “It makes me look at teachers in a whole new light.”

— Jody Frye ’16 “More Zac Efron and less book talk.”

— Emma Sajsa ’14 “Zibby is a stupid nickname.”

— Nick Stougaard ’15 “Don’t have much to say about it other than a resounding ‘eh.’

And where was Marshall?”

— Anna Yie ’14 “Caples wasn’t pretty enough to get a part in the film.”

— Adam Wescott ’14 “My favorite moment was when they showed the MiddleGround sign and everyone said, ‘aww!’”

— Jameyanne Fuller ’14 “At least it wasn’t too long.”

— Yoni Wilkenfeld ’13 “There was a guy walking down Middle Path reading a copy of Twilight. That would never happen.”

— Ben Stinson ’13 “They made Kenyon look really pretty.”

—Gina Rickert ’14

snapshots of a

kenyon summer

Though most students came back to Kenyon this August, some never left. A handful of Lords and Ladies spent their summer meeting alumni, giving tours to prospective students, doing neurobiological research on caterpillars, attending the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) auctions and watching judo practice from afar. These few students got to spend their summers enjoying an empty Gambier. These are their stories.

Name: Joe Walsh (right) Year: 2015 Summer Program: Office of Admissions

Name: Kayla Ernst Year: 2013 Summer Program: Legal Scholars

Name: Rebecca Katzman Year: 2014 Summer Program: Rural Life and Farm Intern

Name: Jacqueline McGraw (left) Year: 2015 Summer Program: KAC Receptionist

Name: Libby Panhorst Year: 2013 Summer Program: Kenyon Review

Name: Emily Rose Year: 2014 Summer Program: Summer Science

Position Details: I was basically a tour guide, but obviously we don’t give tours all day. … When I wasn’t doing that, we would be sort of stuffing envelopes, sending out mailings, communicating with prospective students or transfer students, just all that kind of stuff.

Position Details: My project was about how the meaning of terrorism has changed through the judiciary. So, I looked at federal terrorism cases since the 1980s, and I read through the court opinions of each of the cases to see how the courts defined terrorism and treated terrorists from the 1980s to the present. I researched how that changed with the war on terror with the kind of rhetoric and the kind of characteristics they use to describe it, because it’s just kind of a concept that has never had a settled definition.

Position Details: I was here this summer for two reasons. ...

[First], I was interning on Chrissie Laymon’s farm on Kenyon Road. It was an internship sponsored by the McGregor Fund, so it was essentially an internship that the school paid for. Chrissie started a small market on her land, so I learned about how to run a farm. The second reason I was here was that I was preparing to become the manager of the Rural Life Center under Professor [of Sociology] Howard Sacks.

The Rural Life Center promotes connection between the College and the community through projects. … There is a course called Rural Life Fieldwork that works on a couple of the projects and promotes sustainability and good relationships throughout the community, dealing with everything from food and agriculture to public life. As manager, I updated the website and [did] physical archiving; we’re trying to get the archive online.

Position Details: I worked at the front desk of the Kenyon Athletic Center for most of the summer. That just entailed checking everybody’s IDs when they came in, because since it was mostly community members, you just had to make sure people weren’t trying to use the facility if they were not a member for liability reasons. I would just have conversations [and] be friendly; that was pretty much my job. I would help out with any small tasks that needed to be done.

Position Details: I was working as the Summer Programs Coordinator at the Kenyon Review. The programs that fell under that umbrella were the Adult Writers’ Workshop, which was about 80 adult writers … who came and did specialized workshops. … Also, there were two sessions of Young Writers. Each one brought about 100 to 105 highschool students, and they did a workshop for two weeks.

I also did some behind-the-scenes work for Writing and Thinking, the pre-Orientation program at Kenyon. So, I did anything from checking on classrooms in the morning … to matching all of the roommates for Young Writers (which was really fun) to … putting together class assignments for Young Writers.

Position Details: I worked with Professor [of Biology Harry] Itagaki. Our research was neurobiological, and it had to do with a caterpillar. We were doing a new experiment by looking at the enteric nervous system; it’s a part of the nervous system that’s in the mid-gut. We were trying to identify taste receptors. Since research takes a long time, we’re still kind of continuing that this semester.

Best Experience: I was invited to a live auction by my auctioneer friend and it actually turned out to be an NRA auction. This is really embarrassing, but I didn’t know what the NRA was at the time. Then my friend told me that it stood for the National Rifle Association. That really turned out to be a huge cultural experience that I had here. It was really interesting and funny and I met a lot of interesting people that I certainly wouldn’t have met otherwise. I hung out a lot with the Amish too. I saw myself at one point sitting while the sun was setting outside, just me, Chrissie and 12 Amish people just talking about local food stuff for about three hours.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: Definitely meeting new people. There were about 50 students on campus for most of the summer, and it was just really fun because almost every day we would all hang out at the Aclands because there were not that many people. Everybody was just happy to have anybody come over, and you got to meet a lot of people from other grades, which was just really fun.

Funniest Experience: There was a select group of [Young Writers], about three or four, who decided it would be a great idea to build a cat trap behind the Bookstore. I didn’t actually get to personally experience that one, but hearing stories about the box and the can of tuna was pretty funny.

They always got up to some shenanigans.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: It was like a real summer. My friends and I would go to the river and swim, I went to the pool once, and Apple Valley Lake. You just had to find your own way to have fun. I went canoeing once with Rebecca Katzman ’14, who was here. So I think that was the best part, to have had a real summer in a rural area and to have discovered things you wouldn’t mainly do during the school year.

Funniest Experience: In the office, we had this wall. I wouldn’t exactly call it a wall of shame, but it was sort of like funny and stupid things people said throughout the summer in the office. We just had like all these random things put up and, also, every once in a while something would get printed wrong and stuff like that. So, it was just this random wall of all these jokes and it was the kind of thing that if any random person walked in and looked at them they would have probably just thought we were in an insane asylum or something like that. It was just absolutely hilarious.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: I think that, in a lot of ways, it was still very much the same Kenyon, in that you still had the people that wanted to be here, but the people who came here over the summer even more so wanted to be here. We started calling the summer group Summa Gamma Beta (Summer in Gambier).

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: If anything, it was … why did they make the KAC hours so short? All the people liked to use the facilities, but most people would work during the time they were open. There was honestly very little to complain about.

Best Experience: Really, the best thing about the study was working with my advisor, [former Kenyon] Professor Nicole Hotchkiss. That was what I really enjoyed, because she had a lot of background on the subject, so she just offered a perspective that I really didn’t know. The funniest experience was trying to work with the statistical software, because I didn’t really have experience with that. My advisor is at another university right now, and so she was trying to explain everything to me about the software over the phone, and it was just a mess contacting each other.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: It was just like everything that’s great about Kenyon but without stress. I had my research but it was on my own schedule, so I got to enjoy being here and appreciate the beauty of the campus and the professors that are here. Every night I would just take a night walk and walk all over campus.

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: The heat, especially living in Aclands. There were a few sleepless nights when I couldn’t sleep because it was like 100 degrees. So that was pretty awful.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: You get to know that whatever “Kamp Kenyon” is, it’s that times 20 in the summer. ... It felt like it was yours. If ... you’re here in the summer you really experience rural life, and that’s a really cool thing.

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: It was really quiet, which I thought was more a good thing than a bad thing. Then there was a six-day power outage. ResLife came around and gave us glowsticks.

Funniest Experience: We had a lot of camps come that stayed on campus and ... there was a judo camp. It was just really funny for me because they would be in their robes and they were all practicing fighting on the basketball court right at the entrance. The students who were on campus during the summer would come in, and ... they would be like, “What is going on here?”

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: The one thing that really stands out was the blackout because I was living in a New Apt at the time, and ... they sent out this email that said campus had power again. I was so excited to go back to my New Apt, and I went to turn on my light and it didn’t work. So, we continued to not have power in those for two or three more days. It was really hot during that period of time. We were also cooking for ourselves, so that was sort of a problem.

Best Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: I liked being in Gambier during the summer because it was more like being in Gambier than it was like being at Kenyon. . . . When you think of the perfect American summer, it can happen in Ohio.

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: The worst thing about Kenyon this summer was the blackout. It was three days long, but at the time, I was living in New Apts, where it lasted six days. When we realized that [Campus Safety] didn’t know our power was out, that was when it got scary because there was another storm about to come through. So, we looked outside and just watched the lightning, hoping nothing would happen. I slept that night on the dresser so that I could be as close to the screen as possible because it was so hot. I feel stronger from surviving that.

Best Experience: It was really fun; I loved it. It was a really great experience to work with a professor because it’s just one-on-one. When there was no one here, it was weird, but it was also a great experience to live in the community with just you and a few other students.

Worst Thing About Kenyon in the Summer: The heat was difficult without air-conditioning.

10

FEATURES

THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Forever Young: A Senior Adrift in a Sea of First Years

By JANE SIMONTON FEATURES EDITOR

McBride 116. A single room nestled in the middle of the first floor of McBride Residence Hall. It has a whiteboard and a “Community Advisor” plaque on the door, and, for the last two years, it has been the home of Kenny Fedorko ’13.

“I requested the same room, and I got it because no one is crazy enough to ask for the same room twice in McBride,” Fedorko said.

Fedorko, a Community Advisor (CA) for the Office of Housing and Residential Life, is completing his second year as a CA on a first-year hall. While his classmates spend their time enjoying the luxuries of South Campus or apartment-style living, he is stranded by choice in a sea of residents at the opposite end of their college journey.

For Fedorko, however, this has not hindered his sense of campus involvement.

“I spent so much time at my friends’ last year … and I always did theater. … It’s not like I was always in the room twiddling my thumbs,” Fedorko said. “I feel like I’m really active on campus, which keeps me out of the mindset of just being a CA.” Fellow CA Rowan Kurtz ’13 spent his sophomore and junior years as a CA in McBride and Norton re-

spectively, and is now a CA for the Taft Apartments.

For Kurtz, there is a disconnect between first-year CAs and upperclass life.

“You definitely had to put more effort in to stay connected,” he said. “When you’re at Kenyon, the nice thing is everything’s so close, so it’s really easy [to spend time with people], but the bad thing is you don’t really set things up.

It’s not like you’re at home and you’re in a city, [so] you set things up with friends because you don’t live so close. Here, things happen, so you miss out if you’re not living close [to them].”

In Kurtz’s opinion, the first-year experience is best left to the first years.

“Freshman year, everything’s exciting, everything’s new, everything’s novel,” he said. “You’re at college. As time went on, it became a little bit less enchanting, especially as people started living South. You’re far away from friends, you’re far away from classes [and] you’re far away from the KAC. It just got tiring. Also, the freshman experience kind of got repetitive.”

But Fedorko found something enchanting in the first-year experience that encouraged him to return. The enchantment, he said, can be best described by an anecdote concerning himself and Tommy Hans

Students

’15, Fedorko’s former resident and now the CA for first-floor short-side McBride. “[Hans and] I brought our freshmen up to the top of the [Brown Family Environmental Center] hill. It’s a very special place for me, and whenever I get very stressed out or overwhelmed, I like to go up there, maybe with a friend or by myself, and just breathe and relax and let things go,” Fedorko said.

“I brought all the freshmen up there because I wanted them to share that experience and I wanted to let them know there is an oasis.

“You know, even though Kenyon is very insular … there are other places to go, other places to just relax and be yourself and admire beauties.

“That’s kind of one dimension of why I wanted to be a CA in a freshman dorm. If I were living in an upperclassmen dorm and I were to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to the BFEC, anyone want to come?’ no one would come. Everyone already has their own friend group [and] agendas. They know Kenyon already, so I just kind of want to give the freshmen a new [and] different way to look at school and to look at college.”

Fedorko looked differently at his own college experience as well, which is why he said he could never

Christine Appleby ’16

SAM COLT | COLLEGIAN

Kenny Fedorko ’13 has served as a first-year Community Advisor for the last two years. see himself taking the path Kurtz chose: becoming an upperclass CA. “I try to have a spiritual connection with my residents, although it’s very re-

laxed … and I don’t think that can be fostered by an upperclass CA, because everyone’s already used to Kenyon and the whole idea of college is demysti-

Pat Urban, Professor of Anthropology

Mia Barnett ’15

Brian Mack, AVI Dishwasher

fied,” Fedorko said. “So I like to bring something to the table that the freshmen haven’t experienced yet. I like to become part of that memory.”

Fac/Staff Fac/Staff Totals so far: Students: 4 Faculty: 2

Gambier Grillin’

Vs

Which descendant of political royalty is Taylor Swift currently dating?

Conor Kennedy

A Kennedy

It must be a Kennedy because there are so many of them.

Besides being a gymnasium and classroom, for what other purpose was Rosse Hall formerly used?

Social gatherings

Dormitory

I can’t remember.

I have no clue.

Which unexpected celebrity from High School Musical stars in the film Liberal Arts?

Zac Efron

Zac Efron

I have no idea.

Zac Efron

Zac Efron

Of which committee is Paul Ryan currently chairman in the House of Representatives?

Science and Technology Committee

I don’t know.

Ways and Means

Way and Means Committee

The House Budget Committeee

What is the name of the rover that landed on Mars in August?

Curiosity

Discovery

Curiosity

Not sure.

Curiosity

Total Correct

3

1

1

1

One of the Kennedys.

Conor Kennedy College chapel

By Julie France

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

FEATURES

11

THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

Kenyon Grad Strives to Improve Local Food Economy

By SAMUEL COLT PHOTO EDITOR

These days, students who drive to Mount Vernon in search of “real” food may unknowingly pass the Farm on Kenyon Road, a purveyor of local food less than a mile from campus. The Farm, located on the left side of Kenyon Road as you head toward Route 36, is the work of Chrissie Laymon ’01, for whom farming has always been a passion.

“When I was young, I always knew I wanted to be on a farm, so in my head I imagined marrying a farmer,” Laymon said.

After graduating from Kenyon with a degree in American rural studies, Laymon worked on a ranch in Montana. While there, a horse bucked her, leaving her in a back brace for six months and prompting her to move back to Ohio.

After recovering, Laymon (née Cunningham) went on to graduate school for rural sociology at the Ohio State University and got married, but not to a farmer. Her husband, Jay Laymon, works for the Mount Vernon Fire Department and owns a tree-clearing business.

Farming was always in the cards, but it only recently became a reality.

“We’ve been doing all of this [farming], but this as a career choice has just been within this past year. This Kenyon Farm is very new,” she said.

In the spring of 2011, the Laymons bought 18 acres of land adjacent to their property on Kenyon Road in a sheriff’s sale.

“The land had been let go for the [previous] five years. Nothing had been done with it,” Laymon said. “So that was a lot of rehab work.”

Last fall, Laymon mentioned to a few students her interest in starting a farm. One of those students was Rebecca Katzman ’14, who began working on the farm with Laymon last spring and interned there over the summer.

“I did everything at the Farm, from working in the market stand to weeding, hoeing, harvesting and washing the produce. I was often in charge of the morning and evening chores, which included feeding and watering the animals and a 6:00 a.m. milking,” Katzman said.

Although Katzman did not receive academic credit for her work this summer, she was paid by the College through

SAM COLT | COLLEGIAN

Chrissie Laymon ’01 at the Farm on Kenyon Road, her effort to improve the area’s local food selection. Laymon studied American rural studies at Kenyon. the Rural Life Center. In addition to an internship with AVI Director of Sustainability John Marsh during the summer of 2011, Katzman has developed a broad knowledge of farming, as well as Knox County’s local food infrastructure.

“I wish that Kenyon kids would appreciate local foods more,” she said. “I don’t think

the average student could fathom how much fresh local food is in Peirce — it’s insane. ” This summer has been a successful one for Laymon. Her lettuce and tomatoes have been popular among customers.

In the long run, Laymon wants the Farm to become the center of the local food economy in Knox County.

“What I would really like to see is this little market grow to support other farmers. I’d like to carry more local foods so that we have a large variety ... to make buying local really easy for people,” she said.

Meeting the right farmers and understanding their growing practices will be a major component of Laymon’s work

going forward. She will also need to find buyers who are willing to pay a premium for food that is grown locally and with sustainable practices.

“If we are able to make a hard push on the retail side, [the Farm] could be a way to make a living,” she said. “You can make a living … farming, but it is a lot of work.”

Wiggin Street Coffee Brews Up Promising Future FEATURES EDITOR

In Josh Radnor’s time, it was known as the KC. The class of 2012 knew it only as MiddleGround. The building’s new occupants considered River Road Coffeehouse, Chase’s Coffeehouse and Philander’s Coffeehouse. But in the end, Mark and Dave Forman of One Line Coffee chose a reference to the location, not the College: Wiggin Street Coffee. Here, we bring you a conversation with Mark Forman, founder of the fatherson brand out of Granville, Ohio, and the story of how Wiggin Street Coffee came to be.

The First Coffeehouse “My son and I are partners, and we started out 10 years ago. … I loved making coffee, so everywhere I would travel, I would always search out, ‘What are the local independent coffeehouses?’

“We had a chance in Granville [to buy] a place that had been frequented by a couple of different coffee places in an old house. And ... my very favorite coffee place of all time was in an old house. … It [was] just like, okay, this is everything I want a coffee house to be. Good coffee, roasted by a local company, in an old house. What could be better

“

“

By JANE SIMONTON

The best coffee, sourced from the best small farms . . . what the [laborers] do really matters when it comes to the taste of the coffee.

Mark Forman

than this? …

“I always had in the back of my mind, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do something like that?’ So my son and I had a chance to take on an old house in Granville that had been a coffee place … and we kind of did this together. I was still working full time, and we were just having fun with it.”

The Second Coffeehouse “Then [our Granville coffeehouse] kind of grew, and after four years, [Dave] really wanted to get a second coffeehouse because we had been so successful with the first, so kind of spur of the moment, we decided we would do one in Newark, [Ohio]. It’s very different from the old house in Granville. It’s … [a] shopping center strip, brickand-blast building that was a bank at one time. ...We did that about six years ago. It took a little bit longer because it’s more of an expensive location, but it too now has become fairly successful

and kind of its own place.”

Production Facilities “About three-and-a-half years ago, [we got] a small roaster, … put it in a corner in the Granville house and [said, let’s] see how it goes. Well, a year later, we loved it, … so [Dave] decided to buy a big roaster, open a little bit of a production facility [in] nearby Heath, and start roasting all of the coffee for that store and for the Newark store. And that was where it was all supposed to end. We’ve got a nice roasting store and two coffeehouses.

We’re all happy.”

The Showcase Roaster Store “Dave ... wanted to ... take the One Line brand and do what … are called showcase roaster stores. They usually do some roasting there, … have some kind of a coffee bar [that’s] very nice with state-of-the-art equipment [and] little to no food. … So I agreed to this in a weaker mo-

ment, and we designed a store in the Short North [neighborhood in Columbus] that opened on July 18 [of this year] called One Line Coffee. It’s great.”

Deciding to Buy MiddleGround “A year ago, Margaret and Bill Gunderson, the couple that own the VI here, approached us and said, ‘Two places is a lot for us. We’ve heard a lot about your coffee in Granville. How would you feel about considering coming and doing the coffeehouse in Gambier?’ Well, we came up and toured it, and we said, ‘With all due honesty, this is really as much of a restaurant as it is a coffeehouse. ... We don’t know food. ... It just wouldn’t be a good fit for us.’

“So we kind of left it at that.

Then they called us back, and they said ... ‘If we decided to do lunch at the VI, would you consider having just a coffeehouse?’

We thought about that, we talked about it, we knew there was a risk. … If there’s any group of people that have as hard of a time dealing with change as older people, it’s younger people. So [with] the traditions of food and sweet potato fries and paninis on a campus with not many food options, there is a risk of just a

coffeehouse coming here.

“Part of our consideration was that … even though it took a few years for the Denison students to find us, [we now have a following in Granville]. … Perhaps Kenyon students are not that dissimilar from Denison students, and that the attraction of first-class coffee, locally roasted from small farms … bundled teas, a few sandwiches, pastries to go with coffee [and] a good espresso bar, maybe, over time, they would forgive us for not having all of the deep selections they’ve been used to.”

Dealing with Feedback “We’ve had a few [people come in and say,] ‘Oh, I thought there’d be more food for breakfast,’ but I would say most of the reactions have been positive, pleased … that we have some [food]. … We try to do things that are really good and reasonably priced to go with [them]. …

[We’ve had] pretty good feedback and positive comments about the color we chose here.

“We kept the booths. ... I don’t think I would have put the booths in if I had started from scratch, but it was a no-brainer to keep them. And some people [have said], ‘I actually would have been very unhappy if the

booths were removed.’ They’ve kind of grown on me.”

Values and Hopes for the Future “We continue to use our resources at One Line Coffee and get those married into the Wiggin Street Store. … The best coffee, sourced from the best small farms, and getting students interested in hearing the stories and appreciating the hard work of the small farm and what the laborers do and that what they do really matters when it comes to the taste of the coffee. … Our thing is, we hope that you like our coffee, and you can, at some level, appreciate that it had a roaster. People had to work hard to serve … but beyond that, it’s get out of the way, let’s make sure people know where this product came from. And that’s why we have our coffee pouches for sale in our front area.

“Our current house coffee is the El Salvador, and Dave and I visited that farm in February. …

We’re trying to do more coffee visits, and we’re trying to work more to select the coffee we want to buy. So not only are there workers beyond the coffee, but we can personally talk about that coffee and about the people who grew it.”

12

THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

ARTS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

JOSH RADNOR

&LIBERAL ARTS

talks memories, poetry

DAVID HOYT | COLLEGIAN and

PAIGE SHERMIS

A&E EDITORS

At long last, Liberal Arts, the very first “Kenyon” movie and second feature film

by Josh Radnor ’96, premiered to the Kenyon community on Sunday, Sept. 2. The Collegian’s arts and entertainment editors sat down with Radnor for a talk about John Keats, filmmaking and not sleeping with his actual Romantic literature professor.

The Kenyon Collegian (TKC): In the movie, Jesse describes the class taught by Professor Fairfield as transformative. Was there a class like that for you at Kenyon?

Josh Radnor (JR): There were a few, but one thing I did take from my own story was how amazing my British Romantic literature class was. There was a really amazing professor here at the time named Ron Sharp. It was my senior year and, for whatever reason, those poets completely landed me at the right time — Wordsworth, Keats, Coleridge and Blake. That is something that I do share with Jesse — that enthusiasm for those poets. Obviously, I never slept with Ron Sharp.

TKC: Do you have a favorite among those poets?

JR: Keats, I suppose. But, there’s something about Wordsworth. Wordsworth was the first poet we studied. I remember his “Ode on Immortality.” It felt like some sort of divine transmission when Ron Sharp took us through that poem.

There’s that line about how “our birth is but a sleep and forgetting.” We come here and we actually forget where we just came from. I remember it exploded my idea of this being all there is. It was this very cosmically-expansive poem that made me feel both bigger and smaller at the same time. I really think that what he was getting at in that poem was something quite massive.

I draw inspiration from those poets — and also Emerson and Thoreau. A lot of them were reading the Bhagavad Gita and being inspired by Eastern thought, and that book is very important to me. I just love the idea of these Western minds wrestling with these Eastern concepts.

And Ron Sharp actually told us the story that I stole for [Allison] Janney’s character about teaching “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and, instead of saying “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” he said “Beauth is trudy, trudy beauth.” He told us later that a lot of Romantics teachers have done that.

When they say it out loud, for some rea-

son, they switch it up. I completely ripped off that story from Ron Sharp.

TKC: When you were filming, did you get to visit old professors?

JR: Yes. Peter Rutkoff’s been a friend

“

that’s really toxic is that you’re never successful enough. There are always people who are so much more successful than you, so it’s hard to just kind of pinch yourself and be grateful for where you are. It’s

“

By SARAH LEHR

One of the things that’s great about a liberal arts education was the awakening to the idea that something can be true and its opposite true all at the same time.

Josh Radnor ’96

for years. Howard Sacks is still in touch.

Some of these people were extras in the film. It was terrific. I feel that the longer you’re out of Kenyon, the dynamic changes between you and the professors. Suddenly, they feel more like colleagues. The playing field levels.

I stole a lot of Peter’s biography, including his name, for the Professor Hobart character, even though I wrote it for Richard Jenkins. I was always hearing Richard Jenkins’ voice in my head. The story about Hobart running away to France because he hated America, but it was actually because he had a Fulbright, was a Peter Rutkoff story.

TKC: When you were in college, how did you picture yourself as a 30-something?

JR: Oh man, if I did picture that at all, I think I really wanted to be an actor, and I wanted to be an actor in the theatre in New York. That was my dream. I think I was trying to temper my expectations a little bit. I thought that maybe, hopefully, I could be an actor who lives in New York City.

I would do plays all year-round and maybe do a Law & Order guest spot and maybe one day do a Woody Allen movie. I had this very romantic idea about what it would be like to be an actor in New York City.

A variety of things conspired to take me to the West Coast, where my career changed. I try to remind myself sometimes during my less charitable moments with myself, when I’m not feeling all that great for whatever reason, that my college self would be so supremely excited about what’s going on with me right now and my high school self would be over the moon.

That’s always a startling moment, because one of the things about Hollywood

something that you have to work on constantly. I came to tell stories with film and the people around me are helping to support that. What else could I ask for?

TKC: Were you a drama major?

JR: Yes. TKC: Do you have any advice for Kenyon students who want to act or to make films?

JR: When I got out of school, film was not even on my radar. I didn’t even think I was going to be acting in films. I was really oriented towards the theatre, and I was going to New York University to study theater. I just love it. I fell in love with the process.

I think it’s a super exciting time to be a young filmmaker because as an actor, largely, you have to wait for permission to act. Someone has to cast you, unless you make your own movie. Whereas, with film and the way that digital is going, you can make a movie for very little money.

A lot of people, for whatever reason, defeat themselves by creating all sorts of stories about how they’re not welcome or how it’s super hard to be a filmmaker or an actor or a writer and not many people get to do it and you have to know someone who knows someone. That’s all nonsense.

I didn’t have any connections in show business. I’m from Columbus. A lot of it is kind of a mental game. Can you trick yourself into believing you have a right to be doing it until you actually are doing it?

TKC: The movie opens with the Bible quote, “he who increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Do feel you feel Liberal Arts refuted that?

JR: It both supports that and refutes that, all at the same time. One of the things that’s great about a liberal arts education was the awakening to the idea that something can be true and its opposite

can be true all at the same time. Wrestling with paradox is a big part of awakening to the complexity of the world and the contradictions inherent in being a person.

I think that where we get tripped up is the sole pursuit of knowledge without any sort of tempering things in terms of an emotional, more heart-centered approach to living. If we are totally trapped in our analytical mind, it can lead to a depression. The quote is the opposite of “ignorance is bliss.” I am certainly not a fan of ignorance. You don’t know things, and you learn them, and you wrestle with them, and you come out at the other end and you are a little wiser but also a little more sad because you know something that you didn’t know.

It’s like traveling and seeing more of how the world lives. Your eyes are open but there is a sadness. You also have to unpack what sorrow and knowledge mean.

I just thought it was a provocative quote. Jesse is someone who is a victim.

He has glorified the mind to such an extent that it has begun to turn on him. It’s not leading him to any place where he is satisfied. It is actually leading him to these rigid positions where he would rather fall on his own sword reading a book than deal with what’s really going on in his life.

In some ways I’m making my movies for a larger, ever-expanding audience, but I am making them for myself. The only movies that I’m able to make are those that are personally relevant to me. Because certain things in our society are so thick and reinforced in terms of cynicism and in terms of “aging is bad”… I really love the end of the movie when Ana, the girl he meets in the bookstore, says “I want to be old and have a long gray ponytail, wrinkles and a small house.” Right there, you have just undercut a bunch of clichés: no one wants to be old, and everyone wants a big house. Why can’t you be happy with your face showing your years and experience and with a really small house?

I’m trying to write movies that help me learn something, and when I make it public, it becomes indelible. If you’re going to make a movie called happythankyoumoreplease, gratitude becomes a more active part of your life. You have to stand by what you created, and I like that.

TKC: Why did you choose not to name the college?

JR: So it can be everyone’s college.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Eye

ARTS

of the

Entertainer

By PAIGE SHERMIS A&E EDITOR

In the eyes of student coordinator Sarah Johnsrude ’13, this year’s production of Real World: Gambier was rooted in collaboration.

As in past years, the student-run production ran during First-Year Orientation with the intention of showcasing various serious social situations and solutions that the audience might encounter at Kenyon.

Johnsrude, a second-time Real World participant and native of Louisville, Ky., worked alongside Josh Henderson-Cox ’13 as a student coordinator, a job that required much more than simply directing the production.

“We managed a lot of secretarial work; we outlined schedules, sent out a bunch of emails and formatted the programs,” in addition to the

writing and acting obligations of the other cast members, Johnsrude said.

As another part of their duties, Johnsrude and Henderson-Cox touched base with students and faculty involved as Sexual Misconduct Advisors, Discrimination Advisors and Beer and Sex advisors and the counselors at the Counseling Center.

In addition to providing insight into handling incidents of sexual misconduct and other critical situations, these outside groups helped Johnsrude and the rest of the cast flesh out the issues that they wanted to address.

After these meetings, the cast collaboration could truly begin. “[The Real World cast and crew] met up last spring, after classes ended, to discuss what our goals for Real World would be. From there we

compiled a list of every topic we wanted to hit and how we wanted to address each topic,” Johnsrude said.

After they returned to campus in August, Johnsrude and the other participants met again for a busy but fruitful week.

“When we reconvened a week before school started, we wrote the entire script, blocked everything, incorporated tech and put on the show,” Johnsrude said.

Johnsrude is no stranger to the stage. Outside of her work in Real World, she is vice president of the Kenyon College Dance and Drama Club, and also works behind the scenes in the costume department. Johnsrude is also a member of the Kenyon Film Society.

This year, Johnsrude and the rest of the cast switchedup the format of the yearly

13

THE KENYON COLLEGIAN

show.

“I think one of the biggest changes we made was to eliminate the role of The Facilitator. In past Real World [productions], whenever a character stepped out of line or did anything offensive or needed help, an outside character would come onstage and try to resolve everything,” Johnsrude said.

In contrast, this year’s production bestowed a greater sense of community reliance among the show’s fictional Kenyonites.

“This year, we really wanted to illustrate the Kenyon community embodied in the characters themselves rather than reprimanding outsiders.

We tried to depict friends as positive resources and references while also giving characters the agency to seek help on their own,” Johnsrude said.

Johnsrude stressed that Real World may be the first exposure first years have to uniquely collegiate situations, so it was critical to monitor the content’s accuracy.

“Real World should get first years familiar with resources on campus and establish community expectations from the get-go,” Johnsrude

COURTESY OF SARAH JOHNSRUDE

Sociology major Sarah Johnsrude ’13 acted in and helped oversee this year’s production of Real World: Gambier. said.

And that, she said, was not just the responsibility of a single person.

“The entire cast was involved in the creation of this piece,” she said. “We wrote it

together, we gave each other critical feedback, were responsible for props and sound and lights, and memorized lines together. Everyone contributed so much throughout the entire process.”

Education by Inspiration: The World of the Gund Gallery Director

By SARAH LEHR A&E EDITOR

On an average weekday, Natalie Marsh, director of the Graham Gund Gallery, walks into the building’s expansive, sundappled interior and contemplates pieces that she helped Kenyon acquire — pieces by renowned painters, photographers, installation artists and filmmakers. Marsh continues to her office and answers her phone to chat with art collectors.

Yet, when Marsh decides on a wall color to complement the artwork for display, she is not above picking up a paintbrush and painting the wall herself. She often sweeps the gallery f loor before exhibitions, like the three which opened simultaneously last Friday evening: “Left, Right and Center: Contemporary Art and the Challenges of Democracy,” a showcase of artists’ reactions to the American political system; “THIN,” Lauren Greenfield’s photo series of a treatment center for eating disorders and “You’ve come a long way, baby!,” a retrospective of 20th-century tobacco advertisements.

Marsh and her colleagues took great care when arranging these three shows. “Left, Right and Center” features a large, neon piece by Glenn Ligon adjacent to a more understated work

by Mary Kelly that reproduces in dryer lint a a hearing of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

“I like to have attention-

SAM COLT | COLLEGIAN

Gund Gallery Director Natalie Marsh poses in front of “Untitled (We willl no longer be seen and not heard),” a piece by Barbara Kruger. The work is part of an exhibtion entitled “Left, Right and Center.” grabbing pieces peppered with smaller, more intellectual pieces,” Marsh said of her reasoning behind the placement.

“The arrangement of artwork is like writing, in that there’s a rhythm to it,” she said.

When Marsh isn’t absorbed by this artistic sense of rhythm, she operates on a more mundane level. Before the opening last Friday, she dashed off to Katzinger’s, a deli in Columbus’ German Village, for hors d’oeuvres.

The people who came on Friday to mingle and gaze at art needed something to munch on.

“It’s a great deli. I have a

standing order there,” she said, laughing. “They just have great cheese.”

Though “Left, Right and Center,” “THIN” and “You’ve come a long way, baby!” opened nearly a week ago, Marsh’s work on behalf of these exhibitions is far from over.

“The pace is constant. Just because an exhibition opens doesn’t mean that we sit back and eat bonbons,” she said. “The opening of exhibitions initiates a sprint to maximize their impact on the campus’ educational experience.”

One of Marsh’s future projects includes working with a bi-

ology professor, so that biology students can view the pieces on display through the lens of their class material. “[While scientists] use imagery, they don’t usually deal with contemporary art,” she said. “As a director, I like to draw connections through artwork that people wouldn’t ordinarily see, so that they get excited about learning in a new way.”

Marsh keeps the needs and specialties of Kenyon at the forefront of her mind when selecting artwork to acquire. For instance, Marsh thought “THIN” would suit Kenyon in part because of

work published by Professor of Psychology Sarah Murnen on eating disorders.

In order to expand the presence of artwork at Kenyon, the Gallery plans to increase its budget. Its current budget is about half that of galleries at peer colleges, Marsh said.

Marsh said that the economic downturn has made it more difficult for museums like the Gund Gallery to acquire grants and corporate sponsorships. Furthermore, a few universities have sold their art collections to ease the financial duress that many schools are experiencing. Recently, Fisk University sold 50 percent of its collection’s ownership to a museum in Arkansas in exchange for $30 million. Georgia O’Keefe originally donated the collection to Fisk.

Marsh says that it has become more difficult for her to secure donations. Collectors worry that the pieces they donate could meet a fate similar to that of Fisk’s collection.

“Donors exert exquisite care to acquire and maintain these objects,” said Marsh. “They want to see these things used for learning and inspiration.”

Marsh shares this hope for the collection. To her, the educational value of the Gallery’s artwork is priceless.

“My favorite part of my job is staying up late, maybe writing label copy, looking at and discussing artwork with staff and students,” she said.

Fall Sports Preview Last fall, the Lords and Ladies saw triumphs and failures, wins, losses and record-setting finishes. This year, they are back with high hopes and strong team bonds. Here’s what to expect.

Compiled by: Meredith Bentsen, Anna Dunlavey, David Mccabe, Kevin Pan, Richard Pera

Men's Soccer

and

Sophie Schechter

2011-12 RECORD: 7W 8L 2T 5TH IN NCAC Head Coach: Christophe Brown Captains: J.J. Jemison

and

Andrew Parmelee

T

he Kenyon men’s soccer team is looking to rebound after last year’s disappointing finish: a 7-8-2 record and a 4-4-1 record in conference play.

This year, according to Luke Guju ’15, the team hopes to finish in one of the top two spots in the North Coast Athletic Conference. He also said that the team is looking to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.

Many players have already stepped up and performed well. Lewis Williams-Gray ’14 leads the team in playing time with 163 minutes. Andrew Parmelee ’14 is right behind him with 150 minutes. J.J. Jemison ’13 has scored two of the team’s three goals. The team will have a few more non-conference games before they move on to their toughest competition: Denison University on Sept. 22 and Ohio Wesleyan University, last year’s national champion, on Oct. 24.

DAVID HOYT

Women's Soccer

2011-12 RECORD: 11W 7L 1T 4TH IN NCAC Head Coach: Kelly bRyan Captains: charlotte Detchon

and

Courtney Hague

E

ven after graduating seven players, the Kenyon women’s soccer team is charging full speed ahead. In 2011, the Ladies gained a spot in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament but fell short at the semifinals vs. Ohio Wesleyan University.

The team begins the 2012 season with a bounty of senior leadership and a new assistant coach. Rosie Davis, a 2008 Kenyon soccer graduate, returns to the Hill with “a new coaching insight and new ways to do things,” Head Coach Kelly Bryan said.

Rebecca Romaine ’15, two-time NCAC player of the week and second team NCAC in 2011, continues to be a powerhouse at forward and looks to again claim the title of leading goal scorer. Of the first-year class, Bryan says things are still being determined, and will be affected by this weekend’s tournament in Lynchburg, Va. The Ladies look to go far in 2012 but face tough competition along the way. Their game against DePauw University on Sept. 29 will be an important test as the Ladies look to extend their dominance.

Field Hockey

DAVID HOYT

2011-12 RECORD: 7W 11L 5TH IN NCAC Head Coach: Jacqueline Demarco Captain: Leah Jacques

A

COURTESY OF MARTIN FULLER

fter finishing just short of the conference playoffs last season, field hockey is starting fresh.

This season brings many new faces to the team, including seven first years and a new head coach, Jacqueline DeMarco.

DeMarco, who was previously an assistant coach at Ball State University in Indiana, says that she has received a warm welcome and is excited for this season. She is enamored with the team dynamic and hopes to expand upon it. Her goals for the season are for the Ladies to improve their record and fight for wins together.

The Ladies are a young team with only four upperclassmen, but they have surprising depth.

Five of the seven first years are starting players. DeMarco said there have been no specific star players, because everyone is working so well as a team.

So far, Leah Jacques ’13 has been very speedy on offense, and Julie Freedman ’15 is becoming a strong offensive presence as well. If the teamwork and camaraderie continues, this could be a very successful season for the Ladies.

Men's Cross Country

8TH AT THE 2011 NCAC CHAMPIONSHIP

Head Coach: Duane Gomez Captains: Jackson Cabo

and

Ben Tanoff

T

he last event of the men’s cross country team’s previous season was a 10th place standing at the National Collegiate Athletics Association Division III Great Lakes Regional in Oberlin, Ohio.

However, the team comes into the 2012 season with high hopes.

The goal of the season, according to Head Coach Duane Gomez, is to “really improve from last year’s conference places, and for each individual to improve their times.” It is a goal he believes the Lords can meet.

Last Friday, Aug. 31, the team hosted a tri-meet against Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Ohio Wesleyan University. While the meet was unscored, the Lords came out on top with five runners in the top six. Three of those runners —Sam Lagasse, Nat Fox and Ulises Arbelo — are first-year students.

Overall, Kenyon had 15 of the best 19 times.

While Gomez notes that the true test will come this weekend at Ohio Wesleyan, his high hopes do not waver. “We are up for a good year,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

COURTESY OF MARTIN FULLER

3RD AT 2011 NCAC CHAMPIONSHIP

Women's Cross Country

Head Coach: Duane Gomez Captains: carolyn campbell

and

hildy joseph

T

he Kenyon women’s cross country team may not have ended their 2011 season in an ideal place— they finished 12th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship.

But on Friday, the team proved to the league that they are ready for whatever the 2012 season might throw at them.

The Kenyon Ladies started off strong in their opening meet of the year. The meet, to which Mount Vernon Nazarene and Ohio Wesleyan Universities were invited, was unscored. But the Kenyon Ladies still managed to shine on their home turf, with Jenna Willet ’14, Natalie Plick ’16, Clara Heiden ’15 and co-captain Carolyn Campbell ’14 claiming the top four fastest times, and other Ladies finishing in sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth places.

“I am incredibly excited for the upcoming year, especially because of all the talent brought in by our first years,” said co-captain Hildy Joseph ’13. This enthusiasm was shared by Head Coach Duane Gomez, who hopes his team will score a top three spot in their league.

Hopefully, the women’s determination will carry through to the upcoming Ohio Wesleyan Invitational, on Sept. 8 in Delaware, Ohio.

Football

COURTESY OF MARTIN FULLER

2011-12 RECORD: 0W 10L 9TH IN NCAC Head Coach: Chris Monfiletto Captains: Luke bissinger, David Bracket and Dan shannon

O

nly the class of 2013 has seen a victorious Lords football team. On October 17, 2009, the Lords defeated Oberlin College by a score of 21-9, a victory sealed with a two-yard run by Kyle Toot ’09. The 2010 and 2011 seasons were as disappointing as it gets: with a combined record of 0-20, the team was outscored by a combined 666-195.

This year, however, may be different.

The Lords take the field with 16 returning starters under a new coaching staff led by Chris Monfiletto, formerly the offensive coordinator at Division III Lycoming College.

His staff has already made an impact by switching the positions of key players, including Carlo Gagliardo ’13 from defensive back to wide receiver and Keith Jones ’14 from defensive end to tight end.

Nine players who participated in Kenyon’s last victory remain on the roster, all seniors seeking to end the Lords’ losing streak. These include Gagliardo, quarterback Dan Shannon ’13 and running back Brett Williams ’13, whose combined talent and experience should allow for more versatility on offense. The Lords are optimistic that their 24-game losing streak will soon be broken.

DAVID HOYT

2011-12 RECORD: 14W 17L 5TH IN NCAC

Volleyball

Head Coach: Katie Charles Captains: Mary Jo Scott

and

Bella Stachowski

T

his season, Kenyon’s volleyball team will be spending a lot of time in their heads. Coming off a 2011 season that saw them take down Denison University for the first time since 1996, place fifth in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings and finish with one of their best records since Head Coach Katie Charles took over five years ago, the team will turn its attention to the mental side of the game. According to Charles, her squad returned to Gambier in fantastic physical shape, allowing her to focus her efforts on bringing together her relatively young group of players.

As they work to extend the gains they made last year, Charles will look to those younger members — including walk-on sophomore Amber Kraus. Four members of the team’s first-year class started on last weekend’s road trip to Chicago: libero McKenzie Mitchell, Katie Goulder on right-side, middle blocker Maggie Hudson and backup setter Shannon Wright. Sierra DeLeon ’14, who has been among the team’s top three players in terms of kills since she matriculated, will return to the floor healthier than she has been in past seasons, Charles said, and is a player to watch.

COURTESY OF MARTIN FULLER

INSIDE: Fall Sports Preview P.14 – 15

SPORTS the

Kenyon Collegian

Thursday, September 6, 2012

JAKE WAYLER | COLLEGIAN

Chris Monfiletto beat out nearly 150 applicants to take over a team that hasn’t won in more than two years. Does he have what it takes to turn them around?

The Toughest Job at Kenyon

By CALEB BISSINGER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It’s Chris Monfiletto’s first game as head coach, and he can’t find the stadium. After a two-hour drive northwest through Ohio, the team’s two buses are idling outside of the admissions office on the deserted campus of Bluffton University. Monfiletto has watched hours of film. He has memorized Bluffton’s offensive formations and defensive weaknesses. He has meticulously planned his team’s drives and blocks. But he hasn’t planned for this. He calls an audible.

“Did any of you come on a recruiting trip to Bluffton?” he asks a bus full of morning-dazed players. “Do any of you know where the stadium is?” They shake their heads, but Monfiletto doesn’t panic. Someone spots a mailman. The driver asks him for directions.

Shortly, the team is off the bus and things are back to normal. Mark Teeples, Kenyon’s assistant athletic trainer, has already arrived and set up his wagon of athletic tape and bandages. Players emerge from the locker room. About a dozen or so line up to have their ankles, wrists and arches taped. Others lace up their cleats and walk over to feel the field.

“It has a few soggy patches,” they report.

When everyone is taped up, when each player has wrestled his way into his shoulder pads, the team takes the field for warm ups. “Poker Face” is blasting from the stadium’s P.A. system.

“Nothing like a little Lady Gaga to get you going,” Monfiletto quips.

He’s good at keeping the mood light, but an unmistakable tension undercuts the pregame. Can this new coach snap the Lords’ losing streak?

As Monfiletto watches Casey Beaudouin ’16 practice return patterns, this reporter asks him, “How good is Bluffton?”

“You’ve seen the film,” he says. “I don’t know how good we are.”

When they take the field in two neat rows, the Lords look, for the first time, like a team. They clap in unison as Assistant Coach Brian Stroup goads them on.

They move through their active stretches like synchronized swimmers.

Bluffton, however, looks like a team too, and a much bigger one at that. The Beavers have 136 players, nearly three times as many as the Lords.

Back in the locker room a few minutes before kickoff, Defensive Coordinator Greg Jones speaks to that.

“There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between Bluffton and us,” he says. “[But] we’re tougher. We’ve endured more. You guys understand that?”

The Lords have endured many lows: it’s been two years since their last win, players have quit in frustration and the seniors who have stuck around have only 10 guaranteed starts left.

“Some people aren’t here right now,” Monfiletto says in his pregame pep talk.

“Some people didn’t want to do the hard work that it’s going to take for us to be successful and for us to compete in the long run. And the people that remain here … are going to ultimately have the best experience that they’ve ever had in their lives.”

Monfiletto speaks from experience.

He earned four letters as a wide receiver at Davidson College. After graduating in 2004, he coached two of the top 10 running backs in Davidson’s history, and as offensive coordinator at Lycoming College he helped lead the Warriors to a 14-6 record over two years.

“There’s three things that we’re about,” Monfiletto tells his team. “Our three core values: relentlessly competing, rigorous self-discipline and embracing accountability. You guys compete on every snap today, because it could be your last.

“I guarantee you that if this team unites around those three core values, there’s going to be one team at the end of the day today that’s pointing fingers and looking for answers. And there’s going to be another team today that’s pretty excited about what they just did, but not satisfied, because we are a little bit hungrier than that, and we got a big-ass chip on our shoulder. The whole country, and the NCAC, and our school — we need to prove to all of them that we need the

respect that we deserve.”

The Lords lost 20-0.

Still, there were things to be proud of. Wide receiver Carlo Gagliardo ’14 gained 45 yards on a kickoff return. Running back Brett Williams ’13 carried the ball for 98 yards on the day. Again and again, the defense staved off Bluffton’s drives. In the third quarter, down 17-0, Kolin Sullivan ’14 forced a fumble on Bluffton’s 47. Two plays later, however, the Lords fumbled the ball themselves.

“Keep your heads up,” Assistant Coach Stephen Sorrells told players on the sideline as he scribbled routes and patterns on a whiteboard. “We got a long game. Don’t worry about it.”

Still, the offense struggled. They had only six first downs, dropped five balls and gained just 20 yards on passing.

Bluffton’s quarterback threw 24 completions for 255 yards.

“We are going to really simplify things next week,” Monfiletto told his players after the game. “We are going to do things that are very simple, and we have to execute them, because today was bullshit. That was not good enough from an offensive standpoint.”

The loss at Bluffton might seem like a bad omen for the new coach, but Monfiletto took the defeat in stride. Early on Monday morning, he was back in his office surrounded by his staff watching

film of this Saturday’s opponent, Earlham College — a team with fewer players than Kenyon and a long losing streak of its own. “[Monfiletto’s] vision is to have success and to have success for a lotta, lotta years,” Jones said. “But in order to do that, you’ve got to start building the building blocks from the bottom up, and it’s going to take some time. But the one thing that we do have is a vision. We have a strategy of how to get there, and we’re implementing that strategy every single day.”

“The thing that drives most of us is that we know we’re going to get that win,” Gagliardo said. “You saw all the excitement, and we haven’t won in 24 games. When we start winning games, it’s going to be more excitement, not just from us but from the school, the faculty.”

Monfiletto might just be the guy to get that done.

“We said before the season started that the wins and losses will take care of themselves if we take care of our three core values,” Monfiletto said. “The most encouraging thing from Saturday was that our defense really competed, and offensively we’ve got some work to do, but it wasn’t like anybody ever gave up. We were fighting until the very end there. If we continue to do that, then we will win football games.

“I always tell the guys, I don’t think it’s a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”